Method and apparatus for rolling



Jan. 14, 1930.

A. P. STECKEL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING June 20; 5 sheets-sheet 1 1930- A. P. STECKEL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1927 INVENTOR a... P M,

7 Jan. 14, 1930. A p STECKEL 1,744,018

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING Filed June 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 M P. wk! Milne... rfwh Jan. 14, 1930.

A. P. STECKEL 1,744,018 umuon AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING Filed June 20, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR an? RM Jan. 14, 1930. A. P. STECKEL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 20. 192'? INVENTOR Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICE ABBAM P. STECKEL, 0F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE COLD METAL PROCESS COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING Application filed June 20,

This invent-ion relates to the rolling of metal strips and is particularly described as relating to the cold rolling thereof, although certain features of the invention have other applications. It is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 648,7 61 filed June so, 1923.

My copending application, Serial No. 412,742, filed December 9,1929, as a division of said application Serial No. 648,761, describes and claims a mill per so. My copending application, Serial No. 415,143, filed Dec. 19, 1929, as a division and continuation in part of said application Serial No. 648,761, more particularly describes and claims the application of the mill and the process to the manufacture of bi-metallic bodies such as tin plate. My copending application, Serial No. 415,144, filed December 19, 1929, as a division of said application Serial No. 648,761, more particularly describes and claims the side bearing rollers disclosed in said application Serial No. 648,7 61

for supporting the working roll against sides wise movement.

Cold rolling, as heretofore practiced, has been primarily an expensive finishing proc ess whereby a desired surface condition has been obtained. It has not been a relatively inexpensive reducing'process for materially thinning the metal. Cold rolling as ordinarily practiced tends to harden the iron or steel rather quickly and in ordinary practice it is considered impossibleto secure any better than about reduction with a conse-' quent doubling of the length of the piece before the edges begin to crack or the product becomes wrinklcd and further cold rolling is rendered impossible. It is customary practice before the cold rollihghas progressed to this point to anneal the strip and then roll it again. I have found that by using a roll pass employing at least one-and preferably two rolls of relatiyely .smalldiameter, the intermediate annealing may. be eliminated. Tha'vefbeen able toiacoiiratel i roll steel to very thin gauge s itvith no' intermedilate annealing whatever without edge-cracking andwithout -iw'rinkl;

. me ss this rolli g hasprogressed"tdE-such a paint of large 1927. Serial N0. 200,227.

that the product is 40 or 50 times as long as the original strip.

The small rolls employed do not have the. necessary strength to beself-supporting and are, therefore, provided with backing rolls diameter and of the necessary strength to stand the roll pressure. These backing rolls have anti-friction mounting. The rolls are driven largely or entirely by the tension on the deliveredstrip and the small rolls constitute, in effect, a frictionless rotary die through which the strip is pulled.

The tension on the strip is exerted by the winding reel or by a subsequent pair of rolls. The delivered strip may bemaintained un-' der a constant and regulated tension. This is highlydesirable as it insures that the product will be straight. Regardless of the care employed in adjustment, there is'a .frequent tendency for one edge of the strip to become slightly longer than theother and this tends to give a wrinkled product.- This wrinkling is avoided by my invention. My theory is that with the small rolls, the tension on-the strip extends through the pass to the region where reduction is being effected. If there is a tendency at one point for the rolls to reduce the metal in a greater amount than,

at other points along the rolls, there will be a tendency towards greater elongation at such point,'resulting in an automatic decrease in tension at thatpoint, with the result that a smooth unwrinkled product is secured.

The anti-friction mounting permits the strip to be rolled at high speed, saves power and permits of dispensing with the usual mill drive;

I provide w pers for the rolls so as to remove any grit or other loose material.

tions come in Contact with one another. Pref- 100 erably, oil is supplied to the roll surfaces and The 9 roll surfaces must be kept smooth if a satisfactory product is to be produced. The mar- .the mill and wound on one reel.

ing end is then secured to the other reel and of product.

this oil, co-operating with the wiper, keeps the roll surfaces in perfect condition. The oil is also of advantage in maintaining proper temperature conditions on the roll surface.

I further provide guides adjacent the pass. These guides are in the form of plates or slabs, one above and one below the strip being rolled, preferably being made of a hard wood such as maple. These guides prevent the material from wrinkling or buckling. They are arranged on either side of the pass and may be tightened or loosened depending on which direction the material is passing through the mill.

The rolling is preferably carried out in a machine comprising a pair of reels-adapted to serve either as tension reels or paying-out reels. A strip of material is passed through Its trailthe apparatus is driven in the reverse direction. This is continued until the strip is reduced to its final thickness. I preferably employ guides which suitably aline the rolled material relative to the pass. These guides are preferably cooled. When small rolls are used and the delivered material is maintained under tension, it is important to guide the material in a path which is the common tangent of the rolls forming the pass. Otherwise there is a great tendency to tear the strip.

I preferably employ wipers for the strip material on either side of the pass as it is found that these wipers cooperating with the roll wipers are conducive to a high quantity The Wipers are spring pressed and act as take-ups which compensate for the small irregularities in supply of material from the paying out' reel. These irregularities are inevitable and are particularly dangerous at high speed as they are likely to cause jerks which tear the material. The

reels employed are arranged to be driven at will from a common power source. They are provided with brake means to prevent over travel of the paying-out reel when the -mill is slowed down.

' I further provide means for laterally supporting the working rolls. I employ buttresses extending across the face of the rolls so as to prevent their being bowed when under load. The buttresses are madeho'llow and are preferably supplied with oil under pressure. The buttresses have openings through which oil may pass to the surface of theworking rolls, thus minimizing friction. These buttresses become particularly important as the width of the mill is increased.

In the accompanying drawings; which illustra'te the present preferred embodiment of my inventioniv Figure 1 is aschematic view illustrating the general arrangement of the mill;

Figure 7 is a side elevation to enlarged scale showing the means for adjusting the 'working rolls sidewise;

Figure 8 is a perspective View of the edge guides employed for the strip; and

Figure 9 is a cross-section through a but tress providing lateral support for a working roll.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is shown a roll pass comprising a pair of relatively small working rolls 2, each provided with backingup rolls 3 of large diameter. The construction of the baeking-up rolls is best shown in Fig. 4. Each backing-up roll comprises a non-rotating mandrel 4 carrying an inner race 5 for roller bearings 6. The outer race 7 of the roller bearing carries-a hardened ring 8 which is the backing-up roll proper. End rings 9 are screwed on the mandrel 4 and packings 10 are employed to keep dirt out of the bearings. The packing 10 is covered by a protecting ring 11 made of a suitable material, such as belting. and held in place by a wire 12-. Oil is supplied to the roller bearings from a conduit 13 terminating in an oil hole 14; in the mandrel.

Each backing-up roll 3 is provided with a wiper 15 comprising a piece of felt 16 backed by a wooden strip 17 and carried by a spring arm 18 which urges the felt against the roll. Oil is supplied adjacent the wiper from an oil pipe 19. The oil pipe preferably terminates adjacentto the center of the working face. The oil flows sidewise and prevents non-uniform heating and consequent nonunlilform expansion across the backing-up ro Additional wipers are provided adjacent the working rolls 2. These wipers comprise WOQdQl StIlPS 20 carrying felts 21. These wipers are held in place and urged against the rolls by spring wires 20. (Fig. 3) extending across the machine. The felts 21 bear against both the working roll and the backing-11 p roll. In operation, these wipers are flooded with the oil which-is supplied and are effective for keeping it and other foreign matter from assing etween the working roll and the backing-up roll.- The lower backing-up roll is provided with a wiper 15 corresponding to the wiper 15,but carried by a guard member 22 surrounding the lower roll.

7. The material being rolled is h ndled permit of supplying cooling water. The material passes around the guide roll 29 and its upper surface is engaged by a spring pressed wiper 32. Between the wiper and the roll pass, oil is supplied to the top surface of the strip from a pipe 33. The lower surface of the material is engaged by a spring pressed. -wiper 34.

After the material passes the wiper 34, it runs between guides 35." These guides project well in between the working rolls and prevent buckling of the material.

The mill is substantially symmetrical about the common center line of the roll, there being provided guides 35. wipers 32 and 34 and a cooled guide roll 29 in the path of the material between the pass and the reel 24. An oil pipe 33 is also provided. I

' The guide rolls29 maintain the material in a path which isthe common tangent of the working rolls. It is found in operation that the material should be guided along such path as otherwise there is considerable danger of tearing the material when high reductions are effected.

During the rolling operation one reel is serving as a paying-out reel 'and runs free.

The speed of the material going through the .mill is kept under close control and this frequently necessitates slowing down the winding reel. The inertia of the paying-out reel tends to cause over-travel underthese circumstances. I provide brake blocks 36 each having a hand adjusting crank 37 for supplying a-slight drag and preventing unwrapping of material from a reel except when it is under tension from the winding reel.

Due to the weight of the reels and the material thereon, some slight irregularities in paying out the material will inevitably occur. The spring pressed wipers offset this tendency and take up the slack in the material. This slack is a very small amount but is very undesirable, especially at high 'speed as there is likelihood of the material tearing.

Figures 2 to 8, inclusive, show the mill as actually constructed. The working parts are,

mounted on a base .38 having a sidewise exten'- sion 39 for a drivin motor 40. The driving motor is connected through a coupling 41 to a pinion 42 (Fig. 2) which meshes with a gear 43 keyed to a shaft 25. The shaft 25 carries the reel 24. The gear 43 meshes with a similar gear 43 on a shaft carrying the reel 23.

with a hand wheel 68.

the rolls sidewise. I

Figures 5 and 6 show the construction of the reels and their driving gears. Each reel is free to rotate on'its shaft but is held against endwise movement by a collar 45. Each reel has a flanged portion 46 having ratchet teeth 47 formed therein. The ear carries a pawl 48 mounted on -a stub s aft 49 projecting through the boss formed inside the rim of the gear. The stub shaft 49 carries an arm 50 and compression spring 51 placed between the arm and the rim so that the pawl is constantly urged into engagement with the ratchet teeth. A push rod 52 extends from the.

arm 50 through an opening in the shaft 25..

The shaft 25 is bored to receive a pawl. operating rod 53 providing an inclined plane portion 54 engaging the end of the push rod 52. The rod is provided. at its outer end with a knob 55. When the knob is in the solid line position of Fig.5, the pawl 48 makes a driving engagement with the ratchet teeth. Whenv the knob is moved to the dotted line position of Fig. 5, the pawl is left clear of the teeth and the reel is free to act-as a paying-out reel.

- The shafts 25 are mounted in bearings formed in blocks56 secured to the base 38. A pair of mill housings 57 is placed over the bearing blocks 56. The mill housings are held down by draw bolts 58. The mill housings at either side of the center line are provided with sidewise extending portions 59 carrying rolls 29 and 29 are mounted. Water conduits 61 lead to the centers of these bearing blocks for supplying and discharging cooling water.

The mill housings are slotted to receive the squared ends 4 of the backing-up rolls. The

position of the lower roll is adjusted by means.

of jack screws 62 hearing against the bottoms of the slots in the mill housings. The upper roll is yieldingly mountedon springs 63 carried by-cross pieces 64 in. the slots. A wedge block 65 is placed above each of the squared ends 4 of the upper backing-up roll and this block is engaged by an adjustable wedge 66. The wedge 66 is bored and threaded to accommodate an adjusting screw 67 extending cross-wise of the mill housing and provided The hand wheel has gaugemarks- 69 formed on its rim so. as to;

give a direct reading of the amountof adjust ment'.

The small working rolls are held against endwise movement by thrust bearings 70 fitting into recesses 71 in the ends of the roll. The position of the thrust bearing 70 is varied by bolts 72 threaded-into plates 73 secured to the outside of the mill housings 57 and provided with lock nuts 74 and operating handles 75. The workingrolls are each provided'with necks 76 which necks are engaged by bearing blocks 77 (Fig. 3) for adjusting The. bearing blocks'are supported by screws 78 threaded through blocks 7 9 on the inside of the housings 57.

The construction of the block 79 is best shown in Fig. 7 Each block is split at 80 and a draw bolt 81 having a wedge-shaped head 82 engages the blocks 79 and extends through the housing. The tightening of the draw bolt is effective for clamping the screws 78 in place.

The guides 35 have tapered ends so as to permit of their being forced well into the pass. The pressure exerted by the guides on the strip is controlled by hand screws 83 threaded through brackets 84.. Inoperation the guide on the entering side is tightened against the strip and the guide on the delivery side is loosened.

In addition to the guide 35, side guides 85 (Fig. 8) are also provided. The side guides are carried in metal channels 86 and their position is determined by hand screws 87. The side guides are tightened on the entering side and loosened on the delivery side.

The lubricating oil is supplied through a conduit 88 (Fig. having branches leading to the various parts of the machine. The waste oil is cooled in a sump formed in the base 38 and is taken off through a conduit 89 having a pump 90 therein. The pump 90 returns the oil through a conduit 91 to an oil rectifier (not shown).

In operation the handles are operated to alternately throw the reels 23 and 24 into driving engagement so that the material is run first in one direction and then in the other. The speed of the motor 40 is controlled by a hand wheel 92. Due to the antifriction mounting on the backing-up rolls the tension required is relatively low. The

small working rolls form in effect an anti-' friction die wherein material is reduced with only a slight expenditure of power. The product is very accurate as to dimensions, straight and mirror-like on the surface. Once the strip has been fed through the mill and attached to the reels it is not taken off until the reduction has been completed. As a result, the mill during operation carries a strip having end portions which are as thick as the original strip, then a long intermediate portion of intermediate or'final thickness and then at the other end a short piece of original thickness. These end portions are waste and are trimmed off. The product is rolled into bundles on a reel 93 driven from the shaft ilthrough a belt 94. The wipers 95 are provided for giving the strip surface a final treatment.

Figure 9 shows a buttress 96 on either side of each working roll 2. The buttresses are in the form of small castings secured to mill housings. They are provided with connections 97 for the supplying of oil under-pressure and are provided on their hearing faces with oil holes 98 through which the oiltravels to the working surface of the rolls 2.- Wipers 21 engage the working rolls 2 and the back-up roll 3 immediately above or below the buttresses 96. These wipers are held in place by spring pressed crosswires 99.

The invention is not limited to the preferred form as herein illustrated and described but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cold strip rolling mill having at least one relatively small reducing roll and a back ing roll therefor, two reversing reels to which the end of the strip being rolled may be secured, a single motor, and clutch mechanism whereby the motor may be connected to drive either reel, the mill being so arranged that the delivered material is under substantially constant tension at all times.

2. In a rolling mill, a working roll, a backing roll, and a wiper co-operating with both of said rolls and arranged to permit passage of material through the mill.

3. In a rolling mill, a working roll, a backing roll and a wiper co-operating with one of said rolls-and arranged to permit passage of material through the mill.

4. In a rolling mill, a working roll, a backing roll, a wiper co-operating with one of said rolls and a wiper so arranged as to engage the surface of the material being rolled.

5. In a rolling mill, a roll pass, a wiper spaced therefrom, and so arranged as to engage the surface of the material being rolled and means for supplying a lubricant to the face of the material between the roll pass and the wiper.

6. In a rolling mill, a working roll, a backing roll and roll wiping means adapted to engage the working surface of portions of said rolls just prior to the time such portions come in contact with one another, the wiper being arranged to permit passage of material through the mill.

7. A rolling mill comprising a working roll, a backing-up roll therefor, a buttress engaging the working roll and providing lateral support therefor, means for supplying lubricant through the buttress and a wiper for the working roll.

8. In a cold rolling mill for thin metal strip a hollow roller having connections for the circulation of a cooling fluid therethrough, the roller being so arranged in the path of the material issuing from the mill that such material extends around a substantial portion of the periphery of the roller, whereby heat imparted to the material by the rolling operation is removed. thus permitting continued cold rolling without overheating.

9. The method of rolling thin metal strip which includes passing the material back and forth between small supported rolls having anti-friction backing rolls and thus effecting successive reductions, the small rolls being effective for permitting of rolling the material to sei'eral times its original length without annealing, and maintaining the end v portions'of the material on opposite sides of ing anti-friction backing rolls and thus ef- Y fecting successive reductions, the small rolls being efiective for permitting of rolling the material to several times it's original length without annealing, maintaining the end portions of the material on'opposite sides of'the passat all times and utilizin such end per-- tions for connection .to reels or winding the material.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. v

ABRAM P. STECKEL;

'DAISOLAIIMER 1 \1,744,018.-Abram P. smkez, Youngstown, Ohio. Mnimon m Awmm ms ROLLINQ Patent ,dated January 14,"1930. Disclaimer filed-September 1, 1939, by the assignee The Gold Metal Process Company.

Here

enters disclaimer to claims flicwl Gazette September 96, 1939.]

9 and 10 in said specification. 

